Some of the same folks who insist on bottled water in flight think nothing of dropping into it a couple of ice cubes plucked from the machine in the hotel hallway. The tendency is to assume that the ice is a solid form of potable water.

Customer expectations are the driving force in any aircraft interior design, and it seems the bigger the airplane, the greater the expectations. And there's no shortage of designers who can think as big as necessary.

Just a few years ago, customers had fewer options in outfitting their aircraft. But the consumerization of business aviation and technological innovations have resulted in a huge range of choices in furnishings and entertainment and communication equipment.

For technology lovers, today'sbusiness jet cabin is a wonderland, offering everything from moving-map displays with satellite photos to in-flight use of a BlackBerry. And every time you think you've seen it all, along comes another innovation-often for less money than you paid for the product it replaces.

Nothing says luxury like leather. That's the gospel according to business jet interior designers and many of their customers.
As a seat covering, leather wraps the passenger in butter-soft comfort. On bulkheads and sidewalls, leather softens the shine of exotic wood veneers and polished metals. Instead of screaming "money," the cabin softly whispers "success."

Have you ever looked around a corporate jet and wished you had more room? Room perhaps to transport not only your closest advisers but also dozens of staff members, in a space the size of a large home? That's what private customers for Airbus' mammoth A380 will have.

The transition from office or home to the cabin of a private aircraft should be effortless and comfortable. With that in mind, designers and engineers continue to seek ways to make business jet cabins as plush and inviting as the environments you've come to appreciate on the ground.

Aircraft cabin pressure often receives blame for passenger discomfort, from mental and physical fatigue to nausea, headaches and malaise. And while some justification exists for such claims, the subject is complicated.